05/17/07 UPDATE!!! - Oh No! Found Oh No, Cold Blooded, and Among the Dead today. And if I'm not mistaken, the hunt is over. Be sure to check out 'A Poet's Life" in stores on May 22. See ya'll in the pit, bastards.

05/03/07 UPDATE!!! - Added Translator. I thought it's one song a week?!?! Or did I miss this from before? Anyways, The Aggrolites kicked ass with this one.

05/02/07 UPDATE!!! - Added Lady Demeter. Another reggae tune with a country feel. Maybe it's just me. Maybe because of the harmonica. Lady Demeter video is set in Japan. So japaniice!

2nd 04/27/07 UPDATE!!! - The sites I've found are all bastards. I went ahead and worked the internets' magic using vixy. All available mp3s and videos can be downloaded through RapidShare now. Tim, I hope you don't mind this great service I am providing to all your fans...

1st 04/27/07 UPDATE!!! - It looks like the hunt will be much easier than expected. Tim Armstrong's myspace posted all the songs and videos currently available. Found Take This City today.

Epitaph recently announced that starting April 17, new songs for Tim Armstrong's solo album, A Poet's Life, will be available every Tuesday. Fans (ehem!) are to hunt down the songs and videos on various blogs, sites and social networks. All songs for A Poet's Life will be downloadable for free as a token of Tim's appreciation to his fans.

A Poet's Life started out August last year with the release of Hold On, followed by Wake Up. Last March, the third track Into Action, was first heard on KROQ-FM. All songs featured The Aggrolites as Armstrong's back-up band. Into Action also features sweet vocals from Skye Sweetnam.

On May 22 the whole album will be available for sale and will come with a bonus DVD with 10 new videos.

Here's a list of mp3s and videos that I've found so far. I'll try to update as soon as I find new releases.

I swear this would be the last time I change my blog's theme. I might change the header and colors a little bit, but this new blogger template would be my last.

If you're like me, meaning you've spent about a week searching, you probably know that there's not enough Blogger Beta templates around. The good ones are few and far in between. So here's a list of sites with templates that doesn't suck.

Gecko & Fly - They have some of the most decent Blogger Beta templates out. I'm using their Andreas08.

Blogcrowds - Worth the sign-up. A number of famous Old Blogger templates converted to Beta.

Final Sense - Not really my kind of templates, but I'm sure one could work something out of these.

And that's it. Now if you want to go DIY, you can find some help here:

This post is what you get when (i) one of your best friends leaves the country for work, (ii) have a Red Horse induced debate about the future, and (iii) read The Alchemist the following days.

I always dreamed of being a musician. The first time I picked up a guitar, I knew I was destined for greatness. I've been through a lot of bands, and none of them made shit...

12th Rib/Ashe's Blue Sun - Highschool. Me on guitars, Joel, Jester and Atan. We played covers, mostly what's popular on the radio. My most memorable gig ever. Me wearing a over-sized Bench shirt and a red baseball cap pulled down low while playing Machine Head by Bush. The most embarrassing song I've ever played. Where's the Love by Hansons. We broke up after high-school, but we all remain the best of friends.

Super Combo 2000 Experience - Yea the name suxxaxx. Highschool side band. Me on guitars and backing vocals, Rom, Ramon and Ubi Jan. We played Weezercovers and some Goldfinger. Just for fun, but we did play at some private parties. We never really broke up. We are all still friends.

Pasig Punks/DIY - Please don't ask about the band name. Me on vocals and guitars, Muddy, Bangky and Baby. Formed around 2000 AD, we played Rancid, Operation Ivy, Ramones etc. We also have some songs of our own. We don't go live unless we are (or at least I am) drunk. Fiestas, parties, contests, bars, name it, we were there. I've learned that gin tastes much better when sipped through a plastic straw. They booted me out because I was always late. No hard feelings, we're still friends.

Guy and Pip Experience - A one practice session affair, around DIY period. Me on bass, Ubi Jan and Kuya Kim. We played Kim's originals. The plan was to go to Quezon for a Battle of the Bands. I backed out. Still good friends, though.

The Outsiders - After DIY. Me on bass, Jun Veggies and Mang Lars. No gigs, just practice sessions playing mostly Ramones and Clash covers. I left them. They continued and are doing well now, so I've heard. Still friends.

Girlfriend - Around 2003 or 2004. Me on bass, Flormar, Francis and Ubi Jan. Strictly originals. Yes, we played once (or twice??) at Mayrics, thanks for asking. We agreed to boot me out after I went AWOL one practice. They did well after I left, an album under Monopond and an NU spot. Oh well... still friends.

Casillas/No Problem! - My good friends from DIY gave me another chance to shine. Me on guitars, Muddy, Bangky, Russel and EJ. When I joined, they mostly played oi and oldschool punk covers at undergorund gigs. Several arguments later, Russel and EJ were out, and Maki came in. We played several originals plus some good old ska and punk. On our last gig, a half-naked man with a bottle in his hands pulled the plugs of our amps and told us to go home. We did. We are all still best of friends.

The year was 1992 and I was in fifth grade when my brother joined the 7 million who bought the second part of the Use Your Illusion double album. My young and impressionable mind stood no chance. Upto this day I could still whistle along "Civil War."

In Utero was a welcome change after numbing my brains with Bon Jovi, Extreme, White Lion and the likes, even though I understood just a tenth of what Kurt was singing about back then (come to think of it, until now). I'm afraid and ashamed to say that I may be one of the reasons Kurt burnt out.

I was sold after hearing him say his name is Jonas and he's carrying the wheel. A bandmate lent me the album, and it took me a year to give it back. Rivers Cuomo is still one of my favorite singer/songwriters.

The year was 1996 and I just came home from school with a copy of The Presidents of the United States of America's self-titled album. As I ran up I could hear a hoarse voice fighting its way out of our karaoke's speakers... "Took the 60 bus..." My brother told me it was Rancid, and I should wait for my turn until he's finished. I sat down cross-legged to keep my feet from involuntarily kicking. I would've danced if I could. I never imagined you could make music this good. After finishing Side B I flipped the cassette around to give it another go. If you still can't tell by now, ...And Out Come the Wolves shares the top spot of my favorite albums of all time.

I truly think this album was crap when I first listened to it. After finding out that they were one of Tim Armstrong's influences, I immediately went record bar hopping to find any Specials' album. It wasn't until years later that I started to realize the genius of Jerry Dammers.

Their drums sound like aluminum basins. Their guitars sound like my acoustic after it fell down the fourteen steps of our staircase. The vocals is barely comprehensible. Still, I was (again) left staring at our karaoke, smiling from time to time as I comprehend a line or two of lyrics. My favorite album, barnone.

This album came to me at a time when I was tired of hearing my friends' oi/street records. Aside from leading me to dig old-school Jamaican music, it also made me realize that I am indeed getting old. My favorite pick-me-up song, "Sitting in Limbo", can be found here.